Botox | The Procedure & My Experience with Before & After Photos

I wanted to share with you the In’s & Out’s of having a Botox Treatment along with some Before & After photos of how it looks. I have had botox four times in my life and I’ve never been one to be afraid or embarrassed to admit it and this seems like the perfect place to talk about my experiences.

*This treatment was given to me complimentary by The Skin Clinic*

I am 35 this year and I think I am doing it for the right reasons so far, I have always got great results. It’s not something that is frowned upon (no pun intended) as much anymore although I do still get met with a touch of negativity from some when they know I have it. It’s about education and understanding and if you think that Botox is for 50yr+ people who have deep & visible lines/wrinkles then you are very much mistaken.  It can and does help with deep-set wrinkles, but is also great for softer expression lines (me!) and *can* be used a preventative. I personally don’t think the preventative route is ideal as this is when you get the 22 year olds having and that, for me, is a little excessive. I think as soon as you physically can see something that is botox-able…..then go for it.

I went along to The Skin Clinic last month and had a consultation and treatment and want to talk you through a typical appointment and what to expect when having anti-wrinkle injections.

Why I Have It.

I chose to have anti-wrinkle injections because I have faint lines across my forehead that used to go away after I woke up in the AM……and now they really don’t. So not only does it make me look a little weary and tired, but my foundation also ends up sitting within the lines and it looks worse and worse throughout the day. I have used ALLLLLLL the serums and treatments that promise *botox-like* effects and NAH, they really aren’t comparable (I’ve used legit used a £580 serum for softening lines that did NOTHING!!!). It makes me feel more confident and I just like the way it makes me smoother and fresher looking.

About Botox.

Botox is actually a brand rather than the name of the actual ‘thing’. It’s is a neurotoxin derived from Clostridium Botulimin, an organism found in the natural environment. In large amounts it can be deadly, but in very small, controlled amounts it is a great anti-wrinkle treatment. The most common brand of this is ‘Botox’ but there are a lot of others (kind of like the Sellotape/sticky tape effect). It is injected into the skin and directly into the neuromuscular tissue which over time it will prevent the muscle/s from contracting on a temporary basis.

The Consultation. 

Before you have any injectable treatment, you should have a good, in-depth consolation which will gauge if you are suitable for the treatment, what areas you can have done, the cost and also any questions and concerns you have will be answered. You should also be educated on the possible side effects of Botox and be comfortable with how to avoid and just be aware of what can happen. More often than not, you can go straight ahead and have the Botox administered there and then after your consultation but this is also an opportunity to go away and have a think if you are not 100% sure and have a ‘cooling off’ period.

Cost. 

Nowadays, you can get Botox from as little as £120 per area which is very cheap, and when it’s this price, it usually will be administered by a person without an in-depth medical background. I personally will only ever get Botox done by a Doctor or someone with a professional medical background as it’s just not something I want on the cheap. In a decent clinic, it should cost from around £180/£200 per area and the more areas you have the ‘cheaper’ it will be for example £180 1 area / £250 2 areas / £300 3 areas etc. You usually find that over the years you will want or need a little bit more or start to extend the areas. When I first went I had just one area (between my eyes) now I have three areas.

 The Procedure.

After my consultation at The Skin Clinic (I went to the Brentwood one as that is my local now) , the Botox injection was administered quickly and relatively pain-free…you feel very small pin-prick-like feels which are slightly sharp but absolutely nothing to be scared of or worried about. There may be light spotting of blood but this will be wiped and blotted by the person giving you the injections so you are usually non-the-wiser. The whole consultation and treatment took me around 30 minutes, with about 5 minutes of that being the actual injections. Immediately after treatment you will likely have small raised areas where the needles have inserted into the skin and tiny red/blood dots. When I say small, I was happy to walk around outside straight after with no makeup over the area ; it just looks slightly uneven and a bit blotchy on your skin. I would rather not put anything on after/that day as rubbing/pressing the area can cause the botox to move to an unwanted location.

After Care.

The consultant, Amy, talked me through everything to do and more importantly what NOT to do after having botox. The main thing to avoid is facials, massage and heavily touching/pressing the area you have had botox in for a day or 2. Also any cleansing brush-type-thing on the same day (I avoided using my much-loved FOREO for 3 days to be sure!). Strong pressure on the skin can move around the product before it has time to settle and this can end up with it in areas you don’t want ; the cause of the infamous ‘drooping brow’ which is one of the more commonly known unwanted side effect of Botox/wrinkle injections. I’ve never had any adverse effects, besides a Botox Headache which was just a dull, light ache the first ever time I had it which went on for a day or so which is relatively common. It’s a good to be made aware of the side effects though, especially before your first time so you don’t panic yourself.

Results & Before/Afters.

Day 1, aside from the slight redness on areas and possibly pin prick-type markings, there won’t be a huge difference in how you look. Your forehead will feel almost ‘heavy’, although movement is still there as normal. It’s usually around day 3 that the movement starts getting restricted, and by day 6-10 it should be fully set in and movement will be reduced completely. For me, as always, the forehead lines are a lot smoother and as I said before, this is the reason that I have Botox as these lines are the thing I really hate. Now when I wake up, I don’t have any deep-set lines, nor do they get worse throughout the day, it all just looks smoother and better! Aside from smoothing the skin, you should also get a bit of a brow lift, and you can ask for extra if you like, I usually have a tiny bit on the side of my brow to lift them and it also opens up my eyes. Due to this it also makes my eyelids a little smoother so actually easier to apply makeup…just a little thing.


When you frown/raise your eyebrows, it still feels like you are making this motion but it’s just not really happening on your face. I still have some movement around my brow area so my face isn’t ‘frozen’ but I do like a fair amount injected in so it lasts a good amount of time. I have VERY strong muscle movement around my forehead so it does wear off quicker, usually Botox will last me around 4 months. Ideally, I would have it done every 6 months to keep it fresh but I haven’t got to that point yet. I only really have it once every year or thereabouts. It’s also worth knowing that the more you have it over the years, it has a slight cumulative effect, as in the more you have it initially, the less you will need it if that makes sense. My friend has had it done since she was 28 (she is now 35) and she used to have it pretty regularly, now it lasts her nearly a whole year.

I am really happy with the results and how it looks, and it just makes me feel and look better and I have that little bit more confidence when I haven’t got the frown lines sitting on my face all day making me look weathered.

It’s not for everyone and I am always hearing the ‘grow old gracefully’ suggestion but that is fine if that is what you want. I would rather grow old disgracefully but have a few injections to hide my sins! I’m not to the point of where I ‘need’ to have regular Botox, and when this has worn off (I am 3 months or so in now and it’s about a month away as getting movement back), I will probably wait a good few months until I have it again. I think the last time I had it done before this was pre-wedding like 2 years ago.

Is Botox something you would of have considered? You can check out The Skin Clinic here for more information.

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